Cover Story
Putting SLO County wines on the map: Archie McLaren and the Central Coast Wine Classic
Downstairs in the cellar of his pink Avila Beach home on the hill overlooking a sparkling coastline, Archie McLaren held in his hands a bottle of wine worth at least $10,000. But the man behind the Central Coast Wine Classic has no plans to drink it, now or ever. The 75-year-old stopped drinking alcohol years…
Make collaborative art at Pipsticks
Sometimes the best way to get started on a creative endeavor is to join other like-minded folks. Looking to be an artist with work on display? Join in at the SLO Art After Dark Collaborative Art event Jan. 5 at Pipsticks in downtown SLO. From 5 to 9 p.m., participants will create beautiful painted rounds…
Underrated: Sky High
When? 2005 What’s it rated? PG Where’s it available? DVD and streaming on Amazon, iTunes In 2005, Disney released a movie that had it all: action, romance, humor, drama, excellent world building, a well thought-out plot, a star-studded cast, clever references, and a guy with a pun for a name. It got mostly favorable reviews…
Make your own pink “pussy” hat
With the upcoming Women’s March on Jan. 20 would-be protesters need hats, but not just any hat will do. Learn how to make the iconic pink “pussy” hat Jan. 6 in Cambria at Ball & Skein & More’s Make a Pink Hat event from 9 a.m. to noon. This free class will teach participants how…
Film Listings 1/4/18 – 1/11/18
ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD What’s it rated? R What’s it worth? Matinee Where’s it showing? Park, Galaxy Pick Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, The Martian) directs this crime thriller that follows the 1973 kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer), the grandson of oil tycoon John Paul Getty Sr. (Christopher…
SLO Symphony to perform at the Mission
Bundle up and head to the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa on Jan. 14 for an evening of live classical music. Bach and Beethoven will fill the mission as the SLO Symphony presents Magic in the Mission, a chamber concert event, starting at 3 p.m. Built in 1772 before the American Revolution and during…
Wanna eat more plants in the New Year? These vegan consultants have your back
Empowering education The 5-Day Vegan Jumpstart Cooking Class runs Jan. 8 through 12 and will include a Facebook Live cooking demonstration with live Q-and-A. Also check out a Vegan 101 demo Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. at Whole Foods in SLO. Find out more at
Spending New Year’s Eve at the LA Coliseum for the 49ers vs. Rams game
Leading up to the New Year’s weekend, I found myself pulled in two directions. One of my best friends invited me up to his place in San Francisco for a New Year’s Eve party. But my sister, Lisa, invited me down to Los Angeles for a trip with her friends to Joshua Tree. I was…
Check please!
Save dough, eat out: Wait. That doesn’t make any sense! But it totally does. What?! It’s Restaurant Month, kids! Bet you thought the gifts were over. Not so: Now through Jan. 31, SLO County area participating restaurants will offer special prix-fixe menus of three courses at $30 to $40 per person. This also includes deals…
Adventures in chefing
Oven mitts, activate: Eating at home has its allure too! This year, whip up the most fantastic culinary masterpieces for your friends and family (you thought they’d all leave after the holidays, but you were dead wrong). Didn’t get the cookbook you wanted this year? Head to Mint + Craft in SLO and pick up…
Dictatorship?
Apparently not all former Army Lt. Colonels in military intelligence are using their intelligence or experience to discriminate between propaganda, conspiracy theories, their own political bias, and objective reality. I’m afraid the “A grave threat to the Republic” (Dec. 21) may be the author himself, Al Fonzi. Al Fonzi’s latest rant is a compilation of…
SLO city deciding between two Broad Street bike boulevard options
San Luis Obispo residents and city leaders are debating which of two proposed residential bike boulevards to move forward on—and some people don’t want either. One option—and the SLO City Council’s preference—is a two-way protected bike lane that would result in the elimination of 73 residential parking spaces along Chorro, Broad, and Ramona streets. The…
To your health!
Goodbye jolly belly: We all want to feel trimmer without sacrificing on taste, right? In the New Year, make a resolution to visit Vegetable Butcher in SLO, Thomas Hill Organics in Paso Robles, Robin’s Restaurant in Cambria, and all of the amazing farmers’ markets the county has to offer. You might also want to try…
We can do better
Bad decisions sometimes get made. Not because bad people make them, but mindsets of acceptance, press of time, and sometimes even political torpor can lend themselves to contentment with the status quo. It’s hard to tell which scenario caused the SLO County Board of Supervisors to sideline a forward-looking solution to the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance…
Country legend Kris Kristofferson pulls into the Fremont
At 80 years old, three-time Grammy award winner and Country Music Hall of Famer Kris Kristofferson is still playing strong. The country crooner has recorded 30 albums (including three with his besties Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings as part of country super group the Highwaymen), acted in more than 70 films, and penned…
Wine time
Eating at home has many a perk, but when you’re pooped, there’s nothing quite like sitting down to a prepared meal cooked just to your specific order. January is time to rest, rejuvenate, and gear up for the year ahead. We’re also pretty dang tired, am I right? You cooked and cleaned like crazy during…
Ode to freedom
there once was a small farmer who took upon himself to grow and produce only the finest top shelf his cannabis farm was causing no harm its benefits were legion throughout the whole region then what to our wondering eyes should appear but three county supervisors with brains out of gear we the people voted…
San Luis Obispo mulls boosting security at downtown events with street bollards
Imagine a typical San Luis Obispo downtown Farmers’ Market just before 6 p.m. Vendors are setting up their stands. People are starting to mosey over to Higuera Street. And city staff members are putting down those pesky sawhorse traffic barricades. Now, imagine if instead of flimsy sawhorses diverting traffic, a perimeter of steel bollards rose…
SLO County’s civil grand jury is just fine
Kevin Rice has a long, demonstrable history of attacking our county grand juries with no evidence. “Grand jurors committed perjury,” as Kevin so confidently alleges (“The public should know more about grand jurors,” Dec. 21), is certainly not a fact. The fact is that his allegation may be libelous—especially if he begins to name names.…
AG’s Brisco Road interchange project continues crawling toward a resolution in 2018
If there’s one thing many Arroyo Grande residents can agree on, it’s that something needs to be done about the on- and off-ramps at Brisco and Halcyon roads and Highway 101. “I think everybody notices the congestion,” Arroyo Grande Community Development Director Teresa McClish told members of the City Council at a Dec. 12 meeting.…
We need a new kind of county supervisor
Four years ago my husband and I moved to the beautiful Central Coast of California. We love to hike the hills and bike the coastline. On our trips through Oceano we can’t help but wonder why this potentially beautiful coastal town looks so sad. With miles of inviting sand dunes offering plentiful family activities, what…
Bail forfeited after suspect missed SLO court date due to deportation
A Los Angeles-based bail bond company is out $100,000 after a suspected felon failed to make his date in SLO County court because he’d allegedly been deported. Greg Jaquez Bail Bonds, a company based out of Hawthorn, lost its legal appeal surrounding the forfeiture of a $100,000 bond in the 2016 case of Darwin Alexis…
Institutional oversight, though it’s imperfect, must be unchallenged
Al Fonzi’s latest commentary in New Times (“A grave threat to the Republic,” Dec. 21) scores a 10 at attempting to reveal the current and past state of affairs at the Justice Department and FBI. Whether your views lean Democrat or Republican, our first allegiance is to our country, in which we abide by laws…
Cayucos Elementary continues reorganization discussions
The discussion surrounding Cayucos Elementary School District’s reorganization options was focused on how the dollar would follow students after eighth grade. At the Dec. 13 meeting, though, the district shifted its focus to how the options would affect current bonds and property taxes. Cayucos-hired law firm Ochoa and Moore produced a report stating that Cayucos…
The coming challenge: part I
The year 2018 presents challenges for Americans not experienced since the storm clouds of World War II loomed over the Atlantic and Pacific horizons. In 1941, Britain had withstood Nazi aggression alone for nearly 18 months. In the Pacific, Imperial Japanese military forces continued their aggression against their neighbors. At home we were divided between…
SLO County will revisit cannabis regs
While marijuana became a legal commodity in California on Jan. 1, that’s hardly the case in San Luis Obispo County. In the budding cannabis cultivation market, county officials told New Times they aren’t allowing state regulators to issue business licenses to 33 SLO growers trying to enter the legal market, as of press time. That’s…
Reefer madness
OMG! You guys! You guys! Guess what? Pot is legal in the state of California! And not just medical pot either, recreational, too! Well, this piece of office machinery was bound and determined to get my shiny ass in line at the first dispensary to open its doors in San Luis Obispo County. I was…
County seeks input in search for health agency director
Before SLO County puts out a call for candidates in the search for a new director to head its Public Health Agency, it wants to hear from the public. The county’s human resources division released an online survey and scheduled a public meeting where it plans to take suggestions and input on just what residents…
Social media sound off
The San Luis Obispo City Council is looking at mixing cuts with new tax revenues to cover an impending $8.9 million budget shortfall due to rising pension costs. This week, New Times readers took to Facebook to share their own views on how to address the issue.
Cal Poly is working to expand its wine and viticulture department
Making wine is a yearlong process. Pruning, harvesting, and fermenting certain grape varieties are all important to getting a bottle of wine on the shelves. But so is the underrated process of keeping up with alcoholic beverage and tax law regulations. This side of the wine industry is being emphasized at Cal Poly as it…
SLO Jewish Film Festival honors women filmmakers
Coming soon The SLO Jewish Film Festival runs from Jan. 4 to 7, with screenings at the Palm Theatre and a reception , at SLO Provisions Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. Partial and full , passes range from $15 to $200. There’s 183 miles between here and Los Angeles, but the Central Coast has some…
Local author’s novel addresses schizophrenia, mental health
Read on Joe Eister’s Out of His Mind is available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks. Prices range from $5.99 to $9.99 for digital or physical editions. It’s always a struggle to listen, really listen to that little voice inside your head, offering up exactly the right thing to do. But what happens…
‘Downsizing’ brings audiences new premise, old message
DOWNSIZING What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Ryah? Rental What’s it worth, Karen? Rental Where’s it showing? The Palm, Stadium 10, Park, Galaxy Editor’s note: Arts Editor Ryah Cooley and Staff Writer Karen Garcia stepped in for Glen and Anna Starkey this week. From writer/director Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants) and co-writer Jim Taylor…
